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I'm having slight problems with my truck transmission. I have a good references for a guy named Ruben who works on transmissions in Loreto. He has a big shop somewhere off highway 1.

I think those in Loreto are familiar with him. Does anyone out there have contact information for Ruben? I'm flying out of Loreto to get the part I need (and do other business). When I return, I'd like to take the truck to him to have it repaired while I'm still in Loreto. I'd like to set up the date in advance if possible.

Thanks...

His shop is out south past the propane place its a big place on the right headed south. He rebuilt the transmisson on my Chevrolet pickup Excelent work Fair Price

Originally Posted by J.P.

His shop is out south past the propane place its a big place on the right headed south. He rebuilt the transmisson on my Chevrolet pickup Excelent work Fair Price

Thanks, I know roughly where that is. Do you know of anyone who would have his phone number? I'm flying into Loreto from LAX on a Sunday and would like to make arrangements to have it repaired on the following day.

I got his # from the guy at the rv. park in town His son has a big shop in town on hwy.1 This guy is really good and a nice person on top of it He may be able to get parts down there. Sorry Dont have his # but like you said everyone in town knows him

Originally Posted by BigWooo

Thanks, I know roughly where that is. Do you know of anyone who would have his phone number? I'm flying into Loreto from LAX on a Sunday and would like to make arrangements to have it repaired on the following day.

I have his son's cell number. His name is Filly and he can put you in touch with his father.

613 137 83 16

good luck.

Originally Posted by ncampion

I have his son's cell number. His name is Filly and he can put you in touch with his father.

613 137 83 16

good luck.

Thank You.

Ruben's cell number is 613-114-6191. He's the best!

Thanks Loretana and welcome to the forum!

I think the guy's name was Ruben. I was really impressed by the layout of his operation The whole place was antisepticaly clean. The conditons needed to properly rebuild a automatic transmission.

Thank you everyone. Since I can't seem to get a phone signal lately, Vandenberg is going to go to his shop for me and "make an appointment".

Muchas Gracias.

Originally Posted by J.P.

I think the guy's name was Ruben. I was really impressed by the layout of his operation The whole place was antisepticaly clean. The conditons needed to properly rebuild a automatic transmission.

I had Ruben install the transmission lines. What I thought would be a simple job was actually very complicated. Ruben had to dismantle most of the front end of the truck to gain access to the connections. I'm glad I've read so many good things about him because having all those parts taken off my truck would have made me more than a bit nervous . Ruben made diagrams and notes for everything he took off the truck. He said he had only worked on one truck like mine before, so he took meticulous notes about the parts he removed. The job took all day, he started at 9:00 am and finished about 4:00.

If you speak any Spanish, you'll really enjoy talking to Ruben. He's the type of guy that you can understand every word. We talked for hours and never ran out of subject matter.

I'm not sure that "antiseptically clean" even clearly describes his shop. While working on my truck, he spilled some transmission fluid on the floor. You'd think someone spilled spaghetti sauce on a persian rug. Everything came to a stop until the spot was gone. He pays the same attention to getting the repair right.

Ruben has his shop for sale and wants to retire, but while he's still there, I can't think of anyone else I'd take my truck to. I did meet his son also. His phone number is above. He seems like a carbon copy of his dad. Probably just as good a mechanic.

And....THANK YOU Ed for setting everything up for me!

What a wonderful outcome to a great story...

They say every thing happens for a reason. While waiting for Ruben to fix our truck we Got the chance to really explore Loreto and surrounding area What a COOOLLLLLL place

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

What a wonderful outcome to a great story...

Hold off on mixing the Cadillac Margaritas just yet....I just got a call from BigWooo asking me to e-mail Oladulce. He was about half-way home when he decided to stop & check under the hood....only to discover a leak, so he's back in Loreto trying to track down the mechanic who apparently doesn't keep regular "office" hours. He's really hoping it's just a hose that needs tightening & that he'll be home today before sunset....but if that's not the case, he'll let Oladulce know....one way or another!

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

Hold off on mixing the Cadillac Margaritas just yet....I just got a call from BigWooo asking me to e-mail Oladulce. He was about half-way home when he decided to stop & check under the hood....only to discover a leak, so he's back in Loreto trying to track down the mechanic who apparently doesn't keep regular "office" hours. He's really hoping it's just a hose that needs tightening & that he'll be home today before sunset....but if that's not the case, he'll let Oladulce know....one way or another!

All is good. It was a loose fitting, finally made it home. Ruben said that since the transmission cooler was aluminum, he didn't want to tighten the fitting too much and damage it. He told me that if he screwed up the threads in the cooler "I'd have to build a new house in Loreto", because that's how long it would take to find a new one! Even with the little mishap (I checked the fittings several times at his instruction, but was over the mountains and part way to Insurgentes before it started to leak), I still wouldn't take my car anywhere else as long as he's still in business.

Thanks for passing the message Legz!

Spent two days walking around Loreto while the truck was being repaired, one thing I really noticed was a lack of Tourists (my flight back and forth to LA only had 30 people). In the center of town, over two days, I only saw a handful of gringos. Hotels had very few cars and restaurants were empty. I don't know if it was timing, or if tourism really dropped off that much. Looked like the smaller, less expensive hotels are doing a better business catering to traveling overnighters.

Originally Posted by BigWooo

All is good. It was a loose fitting, finally made it home. Ruben said that since the transmission cooler was aluminum, he didn't want to tighten the fitting too much and damage it. He told me that if he screwed up the threads in the cooler "I'd have to build a new house in Loreto", because that's how long it would take to find a new one! Even with the little mishap (I checked the fittings several times at his instruction, but was over the mountains and part way to Insurgentes before it started to leak), I still wouldn't take my car anywhere else as long as he's still in business.

Thanks for passing the message Legz!

Spent two days walking around Loreto while the truck was being repaired, one thing I really noticed was a lack of Tourists (my flight back and forth to LA only had 30 people). In the center of town, over two days, I only saw a handful of gringos. Hotels had very few cars and restaurants were empty. I don't know if it was timing, or if tourism really dropped off that much. Looked like the smaller, less expensive hotels are doing a better business catering to traveling overnighters.

Glad to hear that all worked out OK Wooo. I am curious about Loreto - how expensive are the high end hotels / resorts?

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Glad to hear that all worked out OK Wooo. I am curious about Loreto - how expensive are the high end hotels / resorts?

I didn't check prices when I was there. I stayed in a nice clean little hotel (Hotel Angra) in the middle of town near the main Pemex. It was $670 pesos/night. Definitely not a "resort" location, but I was able to walk to just about anywhere I wanted to go, although it was a bit if a hike to the oceanfront. Hotel was very clean and new. Big rooms, AC, TV, Internet. Hotel seemed to cater mostly to people who wanted to overnight while passing through. Not much to do at the hotel, or in the immediate area though. Great family running it.

That said, I bet you could get a good price on rooms at the bigger high end hotels. Most places were very empty. If I remember correctly, someone did tell me that most of the bigger hotels can only get in the low hundreds per night, but I don't know for sure.

No problem Wooo! I forgot to tell Kate I'm the only person programmed on your speed dial! I figured she might come back with you still like her best & only called me because you had no choice!

Glad you're back home! Gladder that Ruben showed you what connections to keep an eye on, since you gotta travel 40 miles of bad road to get to pavement! Or however long it really is!

I'm wondering how much the lack of tourists might be due to the fact that most people would have taken vacation time over the holidays & had to go back to work versus fears of traveling to Mexico. I do think the "fear" level is still running higher than truly warranted, but given the fact that we're just coming out of the holidays, I'd say that' would most likely be playing a large role as well. But I'm retired....so whadda I remember about working stiffs??

Just for fun I checked on Expedia and came up with the following rates for rooms at Loreto Hotels. Any of these any good?

Hotel Tripui $75 / night

Inn at Loreto Bay $147 / night

La Mision Loreto Hotel $115 / night

Hotel Oasis $80 / night

Posada de las Flores Loreto $129 / night

Desert Inn Loreto $119 / night

Hotel Santa Fe Loreto $80 / night

Hacienda Suites Loreto $103 / night

Posada Del Cortes $63 / night

Ron,

The Hacienda rate is higher than I paid in October. I paid around $70US single. So better rates may be had at the other properties as well. It is very much like a Ramada or Holiday Inn you would find NOB, breakfast was included.

If you're willing to spend the bucks, La Posada de las Flores is a beautiful property and at $129 or less is a bargain. It's adjacent to the square just steps away from Mita Gourmet Restaurant.


Longlegs,

I spent some time in Loreto last year, in Feb and Oct. The place was deserted! At the Hacienda I was the only gringo that I saw. The hotel looked to be about 10-20% occupied by Mexican business people mostly.

Three nights out for sit down dinners (not taco stands) and only a couple of other tables occupied. Very sad. Went to the bar at the Oasis twice at mid day and only saw a couple of customers each visit.

Ken